Smashed, crispy potatoes

These came about when our summer neighbours gave us the few last things out of their refrigerator when they left for home in the autumn – many thanks! When I realized the bowl was full of cooked, rather than uncooked potatoes, my first thoughts were to make mash or even some kind of potato cakes which my mum used to fry up when I was young. A couple of screwed up faces later from Greg re mash, and Zander re fishcakes and it was on to plan C.

When I looked up potato cakes I had found smashed potatoes, with lots of recipes available, so gave it a try with thanks to Karina at Café Delites, whose recipe I used as a base. The great thing about this recipe is that the potatoes remain soft inside and crispy outside – and have even been requested by my notoriously potato-avoiding family! Just be warned, one is never enough, and I can definitely see these becoming a main course with a few added extras!

Smashed, crispy potatoes on the right - and check out the recipe for the smashed sweet potatoes with goat's cheese and kale on the left

Serves: 3-4 as a side dish, 2-3 as a main course with added optional extras

Time to prepare/cook: Overall 45-50 minutes – 20-25 minutes to boil the potatoes and prepare the other ingredients, 5 minutes to make the smash mixture, 15-20 minutes to bake

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Ingredients

• 500g potatoes – new or old is fine

• 40g butter

• 50g grated parmesan – you could also use any other grated cheese suitable for cooking such as cheddar, gruyere, comté; slightly reduce the butter if using a cheese that melts well so the dish does not get too oily

• 1 medium spring onion or ½ large red onion, finely chopped

• 3 teaspoons crushed garlic

• 2 tablespoons/a handful of finely chopped fresh herbs: Chives, parsley, basil, oregano and rosemary all work well, use a couple if you can

• Salt and pepper to taste

• Olive oil for cooking – a spray oil is great

• Optional extras if you want these as a main course: 100g cooked bacon pieces or ham, or cooked chicken; cooked, finely chopped and drained spinach and feta; goat’s cheese – or whatever you have available

• Pots & pans needed: Saucepan, baking tray, large mixing bowl, small frying pan, sharp knife, small bowl to melt butter in, large fork/potato masher (I use a large serving fork), chopping board

Method

• Wash and cut the potatoes into large chunks, leaving the skins on, while bringing a saucepan of water to the boil

• Boil the potatoes for approximately 20 minutes at a medium heat (6 on a scale of 1 to 9), until they feel soft when you stick a knife into them, drain and put into the large mixing bowl

While the potatoes are boiling:

• Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees C, lightly grease the baking tray with a little oil, chop the herbs and crush the garlic

• Chop the onion finely and cook in a teaspoon or so of olive oil for about 5 minutes until it is soft and starting to go slightly golden; set aside

• In a small bowl, melt the butter – you can put it in the microwave for 20-30 seconds (ensuring the bowl is covered), or set the small bowl next to the boiling potatoes (but not on the heat)

• Gently smash the potatoes with the large fork or potato masher until they are a little broken up but not totally mashed – for me, the fork is the better way to go

• Add the cooked onion, melted butter, herbs, garlic and cheese to the potatoes, plus a few turns of the salt and pepper mills and mix well but gently so you don’t mash the potatoes too much

• Using a large tablespoon, make 10-12 mounds of the potato mix on the baking tray – don’t worry about flattening them down, as the uneven shapes mean the edges/top will get nice and crispy

• Squirt a tiny bit of olive oil over each potato mound for extra crispiness and put the baking tray into the middle of the oven

• Bake for 15-20 minutes until the tops of the potatoes are golden brown and serve straight away as a side dish